Craig Dawson produced yet another brilliant performance for West Ham United against Everton this afternoon.
The 31-year-old originally joined the Hammers on a season-long loan from Watford in October 2020 at a cost of just £1 million. West Ham then made his move to the London Stadium a permanent one for a further £3 million in the summer of 2021 (The Sun).
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At the time, David Moyes was crucified by the majority of West Ham fans for bringing Dawson to the London Stadium – a man who had just suffered back-to-back relegations.
£4 million for the no-nonsense, tough-tackling centre-back now seems like an absolute bargain.
Dawson has produced the goods week in, week out for the Hammers this season since filling in for Angelo Ogbonna after the Italian suffered an ACL injury back in November.
The 31-year-old has silenced his critics emphatically over the past 18 months or so. And he was at it once again this afternoon against Everton.
Craig Dawson stands out during West Ham vs Everton clash
The West Ham centre-back was absolutely dominant against Dominic Calvert-Lewin and didn’t give the Everton striker a sniff.
The 31-year-old really is an incredibly solid defender and give him his due, his passing has come on leaps and bounds this season as well.
Dawson had 65 touches and registered an 84% completion rate from 56 attempted passes. He also made one tackle, four clearances, one block and won two aerial duels (Who Scored).
The experienced centre-back continues to go from strength to strength.
Dawson has to go down as one of West Ham’s best value for money signings in recent years.
And without his calm and reassuring performance for West Ham against Everton this afternoon, we may well not have won the game.
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